Manila: Philippines' Capital for a Good Reason

Having been conquered by several nations for many centuries, 3 of which by Spain, you would easily find the influences left by this country in some of the remaining structures, the culture and the people. Christianity is a big deal in the capital and the whole nation. The locals are quite conservative and very religious.

One of the places to visit in Manila, Philippines would be Intramuros. Here you will find the great edifices erected during the Spanish era. The great looking Catholic churches, San Agustin Church and the famous Manila Cathedral, can be found here. Other structures are basically the very same ones used by the Spanish officials during their reign. These buildings are quite sturdy due to the style of construction done by the Spanish friars wherein they mixed egg whites to the cement, making it a whole lot stronger. You can still find them today in Intramuros and some other nearby areas, standing proud and strong.

As you leave the past represented by Intramuros and the nearby areas, you can go straight to the modern by visiting nearby Makati, particularly at night time. You will find here the best restaurants, from the most common fastfoods to the classiest fine dining restaurants.

You will not find it hard to get a place to sleep in that will match the budget you have. You can get the very affordable hostels and inns in the Malate and Ermita areas and the modern and highly expensive five star hotels in Makati.

Being the center of business, Manila will not be able to offer you the best resorts and recreational activities. However, you will not run out of malls and department stores to visit. At night, you can simply have a great time dancing or getting tipsy in any of the classy bars where you can get to meet a lot of beautiful and great people.

Going around is not difficult since all types of public and rented vehicles are easy to access. The main problem would however be the traffic which could get really bad during week days. For those however who would want to get a first-hand feel of the history this place have been rich with, having been colonized by the Americans, Japanese and as mentioned, for 300 hundred long years, the Spaniards. If you come across any negative feedbacks about Manila, you would simply not find it in your own visit as long as you remain a wise and wary visitor.